Foreword to Taijiquan: The Art of Nurturing, The Science of Power by Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang

When Yang approached me with an invitation to introduce this book, it gave me cause to reflect on his years as a student with me. Knowing that Yang has completed multiple degrees in China and America and is now a Ph. D. candidate, it brought a smile to remember the day when, as a youngster in the early 1980's, Yang announced his intention to quit college and devote his energy to learning and teaching Taiji. With gentle persuasion (I told him that if he quit college I wouldn't teach him), I was able to convince him to stay in school. At that time, of course, my primary intention was to convey the importance of an education. Who knew that, some twenty years later, Yang would ultimately marry his love of Taiji with an academic career and be in a unique position to both study the art from a Western scientific perspective and share it with the Western world?

Anyone wishing to learn Taiji must research and ponder the theory and meaning of the art, and practice seriously. This book makes clear the fundamental exercises that must be practiced, and explains the theories and principles of the art from both Eastern and Western perspectives. It is a valuable work bridging East and West. I am pleased that Yang has endeavored to uphold the oath of a disciple: to study and practice diligently, achieve both virtue and the art, and devote his life to the promotion of Taijiquan, a treasure of the Chinese culture.